Experts pick the best ads of the Super Bowl

More than just a contest of athletic might and coaching prowess, the Super Bowl is a test of the of the gladiators of advertising, and last night's was no exception. TODAY experts Donny Deutsch of Deutsch, Inc., Matt Miller of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers, and Laura Petrecca of USA Today weighed in with their picks for the best, the most strategic... and those that had less juice than the Superdome during a thirty-minute power outage.

When the lights were off during the outage, the broadcaster CBS didn't use any of the big budget ads slated to air, but CBS said they would honor their commitments to advertisers who paid an average of $4 million for a 30-second ad hit.

USA Today ran an ad meter that let viewers vote and rank their favorite ads and it generated some interesting results.

Budweiser: "Brotherhood"

Deutsch called it, "A huge story well told"

Tide: "Miracle Stain"

"It's kind of just a wow during the game and it's not a car, not a technology," Deutsch said.

Dodge: "Farmers"

Chatter about this really exploded on Twitter and Facebook during the game.

Petrecca said "The imagery really stood out, great use of Americana."

Deutsch's take was, "It's the same formula as the Chrysler ad [from last year],... you co-opt an essence and own it. You own what's great about farmers, and put it on a car."

Miller said, "There was a little bit of blowback because the brand took an existing piece of art."